Piper PA-31-310 N554DJ

Summary

On 18 April 2006 at about 13:08 local time, a Piper PA-31-310 registered N554DJ was involved in an accident near St. Thomas, United States. 7 people were on board and 7 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2006 at 13:08

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Thomas, United States

Nearest airport

Cyril E. King (TIST)

Coordinates

18.3354, -64.8968

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-310

Registration

N554DJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Croix → St. Thomas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA06TA093

7 people had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power in both engines for an unknown reason.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was making a public use flight between two islands for the purpose of transporting residents of a correctional facility to court hearings. During descent to the destination airport, at an altitude of approximately 1,400 feet, both engines started surging. The pilot's attempts to restore normal engine power were unsuccessful, and he ditched the airplane in ocean water with both engines still surging. The airplane stayed afloat as he and the passengers exited, and then it sank. The airplane was not recovered from the ocean, precluding its examination and determination of the reason for the dual loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.